Nearly Forgotten
by madamwolf
Summary: Spoilers for 'The Shrine'. Rodney realizes that he has to say goodby to Carson before he forgets too much and asks Ronon to give him a hand.


**AN:** The fact that Carson wasn't even mentioned in 'The Shrine' kinda made me mad, I mean c'mon I know he's a clone and not the _real_ Carson, but it's a damn good clone. So I just thought I'd make this little fic thingy to satisfy for the lack of Carson, and thinking about my sexy Scot just makes me giggly. (I'm currently perfecting a Carson returns, not in clone form, fic! It should start getting posted soon!)

**Disclaimer: **Okay so, if I owned the show we'd be going on for season six (we would if we had to film it in my basement and use my digital camera), and Carson would be alive and well… and in my room… now. Needless to say, I own nothing… yet.

**Spoilers: **For Kindred, The Shrine (obviously) and I think that's it…

Nearly Forgotten

Rodney sat in the bed with a tightly knitted brow, it was day ten and he was beginning to forget so much he had previously known. He did the camera thing, apparently it was his idea, he didn't even remember suggesting it. It was getting frustrating; he kept repeating different series of numbers he knew just a couple weeks ago only to find that he no longer remembered them.

Ronon was staying with him; he wasn't here at the moment he took a bathroom break real quick. Jennifer had gone down to the mess hall to eat something. She didn't want to leave Rodney, but she had been forced, she was tiring herself out and needed some food and some sleep. Ronan was just as good, Rodney didn't know why, but the big guy was oddly comforting when he had to be.

Putting a palm to his forehead he tried to force the memories, theories and equations he used to know only to come up with nothing. He was slipping away, but he wasn't far gone enough to not know his chances of surviving this were slim to none this was deadly and by his last day he wouldn't even be coherent.

How would all this work out in the end? With his death, so many of the original team were passing away only a little over four years after they came. Aiden... Adien... Ford, that was it, he was gone, the poor guy, Rodney was even having trouble remembering how his old friend left… how was it again? Pushing it out of his mind he moved on, something happened to Elizabeth. She did something… it was… what was the word he was looking for… heroic? She died saving… He sighed heavily, this was frustrating. There were more... a few more... who were they?

He gasped and his eyes shot up, of course, their was Carson… his best friend, the guy he knew before even coming to Atlantis, he knew Elizabeth too but Carson was different somehow.

He didn't know what persuaded the charming and friendly Scot to become friends with a… guy like him; he couldn't think of the words that people used to use so often to describe him. He heard them everyday, how could he not remember now? Rodney was probably the last person that anyone would suspect Carson would become friends with, but alas they turned out to become the best of friends over the years. They made an odd match.

With a sickening realization Rodney looked up with shock written all over his face. Carson, he was back, it was a clone sure but… the clone wasn't… normal? It was different, it was… him. John told him they sent a message to Earth where Carson was now; he was coming back, maybe in time maybe not in time. Rodney almost hoped it was the latter; he didn't want him seeing him so… so…

The door opened, he looked up sharply to see the large Satedan walking in looking just as gruff as always. Before he sat down he gave a small smile. "Hey," he greeted. "How ya holdin' up?"

"Set up the uh, the… um… thingy. The…" He snapped his fingers a couple times trying to think, Ronon looked on trying to get what he was saying, but failing. "Oh! The uh, camera, set up the camera, please."

"Okay." He said standing up once more and walking over to the tripod where the foreign device stood. True his friends had been helping him out with technology such as this but he was still trying to get the hang of it, he wasn't exactly the fastest learner. Well, in firearms and combat he was, but that didn't help him to much here.

Ronon fumbled with the camera for a few moments, not wanting to alert his sick friend that he was having trouble remembering how to work it. He was showed once, a while ago, but as of right now he just couldn't remember. Remembering, he really wasn't the one in the room who should be complaining about remembering.

But after a couple of failed buttons pushed and some inward cursing he finally got it, by now he looked up and saw that Rodney was waiting patiently on the bed facing the camera. He seemed to not even notice that Ronon was having trouble.

"You ready?" Ronon asked with his finger hovering over the button.

Rodney looked up and took a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah I guess."

"Okay, here goes." He said pushing the button. "Go." He informed when the red light came on.

Rodney seemed to just sit there for a moment, Ronon was afraid maybe he forgot what he was going to do or say but then his fears faded when he started to speak.

"Hi Carson." He said with a weak smile, it was gone just as soon as it came. "I know you heard about my uh… my… what's the word… Ronon?"

"Illness?" He tried.

"That'll work, okay, uh, illness, I know you heard about it, and I gotta say I'm… I'm worried maybe you won't get here before… it happens. I don't have much time left; I can feel everything just… just leaving my head. I don't want you to get here on the last day and find out, hey, I'm already dead or I can't even remember who you are." He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"So, uh, I'm… I'm saying goodbye now before I can't anymore. I'm sorry Carson for leaving like this just when you… came… here… I mean…" He cried out and hung his head in his hands trying to remember what to say. "I'm sorry you may be a, well, um…" Not being able to think of the word, he had it all set out in his head, why couldn't he remember it now? It wasn't even a minute later. Since he seemed to form a blank for the rest of his speech he decided to just finish up. "You're still my best friend, so bye…"

There was a short pause as Rodney stared down at the ground, he looked like he was trying to remember more but shook his head, giving up. "I'm done, Ronon, shut it off."

"Sure thing." He said and pushed another button causing the red light to turn off. Ronon slowly disassembled the camera, lying it back down on the table as Rodney crawled back in the bed. "You alright?" He asked in a worried tone.

Rodney nodded, "yeah, yeah… I am…" For now, at least.


End file.
